NJ Legacy Jingle Bells Jubilee Quad More Championship Standouts

As the Christmas break fades into the rearview mirror, attention now shifts to the wave of holiday tournaments that took place across New Jersey. Among the many events held statewide, few drew as much anticipation as the annual New Jersey Legacy Jingle Bells Jubilee at historic Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ. Staying true to its traditional format, each quad featured a four team bracket battling for a spot in its respective championship game. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at some more of the standout performances from last week's Championship Monday.    A lengthier guard who brings value with a lot of the intangibles he brings on the defensive end of the floor coupled with his unselfishness as an offensive initiator, [player_tooltip player_id='3311769' first='Mason' last='Determann'] excelled as an overall playmaker for Montclair. Determann leveraged his length to force blocks around the basket and get his hands on passes while also being extremely impactful on the boards, crashing the glass and coming down with rebounds in key moments. Determann was aggressive in getting his teammates the ball in the right spots both in half court action and in the open floor, utilizing his solid passing feel and sound court vision to create advantageous scoring chances for the guys he shared the court with.     Proving to be a steady and reliable combo guard who often times uses his quickness to be a difference maker obviously both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='2884256' first='Corey' last='Begleiter'] shined in the ways he was able to be an overall two way playmaker. Terrific at the point of attack, pressuring the ball and possessing quick hands, Begleiter routinely forced turnovers— playing the passing lanes with great anticipation and using his quick hands to disrupt opposing ball handlers, often times turning into swift finishes on the other end of the floor. Begleiter also mixed in some swift drives at the basket when certain driving angles opened up.     A confident ball handler with a legitimate willingness to facilitate the basketball and get other guys involved, Jamal Dixon shined as a table setting floor general for Gill St. Bernard's offense. Dixon is a keen decision maker with sound feel for the game and that was evident of his ability to get in the paint and make a lot of good reads— mixing it up between crafty layups and runners around the basket and sharp and on time passes to open guys in the dunker spot and to shooters out on the perimeter.     A high impact, two way wing who efficiently scores the basketball when the offense calls for it and makes difference making plays on the defensive end of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='1595685' first='Jekhi' last='Burnam'] played very well within himself to be impactful on both ends of the court. Rarely ever breaking the offense as someone who almost always finds his scoring within the flow of the offense, Burnam converted on a lot of in between area scoring chances that Linden's different actions create— perimeter shooting coming off screens while also mixing in some in between area finishes in the paint.     Often held responsible with setting the table and directing the offense, [player_tooltip player_id='1595681' first='Jaren' last='Barnett'] turned in a strong performance, providing steady scoring while capably serving as Linden's floor general. On most occasions taking what the defense gives him, Barnett supplied timely offense— mixing it up between mid range pull ups, pushing the tempo in transition for swift finishes at the basket, and even flashing his spot up shooting from three point range. Divvying up his offensive production between scoring and facilitating, Barnett was also effective in setting the table from the point guard spot and orchestrating offense for Linden.     Operating out of Linden's backcourt and excelling as a confident scoring threat, [player_tooltip player_id='1595682' first='Jayden' last='Holman'] delivered a reliable offensive spark that highlighted his ability to be an aggressive scorer in different half court sets and swift transition finisher. Holman excelled at attacking driving angles and getting to the basket for tough finishes in traffic while also flashing his shot making ability, particularly knocking down mid range pull ups and as a spot up shooter from three point range. A guard who often likes to push the tempo in transition, Holman also converted on a number of strong finishes at the basket in the open floor.     A wing who's always in attack mode and gets to the basket with aggressive but smooth downhill attacks, [player_tooltip player_id='2917025' first='Prosper' last='Highlander'] leveraged his unique combination of crafty touch and swift foot speed to put constant pressure on the rim, particularly in transition. It seemed as if almost every time Highlander grabbed a long rebound off the glass and the defense wasn't necessarily set yet, he was constantly pushing the tempo in transition and getting to the rim for different crafty finishes around the basket.     With a compelling blend of length, athleticism, and fluid movement for his size, [player_tooltip player_id='2201948' first='Asante' last='Jones'] consistently leveraged his physical tools to be reliantly impactful on both ends of the floor. He showcased his athleticism and rare fluidity at his size with his above the rim finishing, ability to attack closeouts off the bounce and finish strong at the basket, and even flashing his ability to score with his back to the basket in the low post. Being just as much of a presence on the defensive end of the floor, Jones used his length and defensive instincts to disrupt shots around the basket while also being a force on the glass— relentlessly crashing the boards and securing rebounds throughout the game.

As the Christmas break fades into the rearview mirror, attention now shifts to the wave of holiday tournaments that took place across New Jersey. Among the many events held statewide, few drew as much anticipation as the annual New Jersey Legacy Jingle Bells Jubilee at historic Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ. Staying true to its traditional format, each quad featured a four team bracket battling for a spot in its respective championship game. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at some more of the standout performances from last week's Championship Monday.